Volcano Girls
by The Talk Of The Town
Summary: The girls of Ranma have always been somewhat weaker than the guys...at least, until now
1. Default Chapter

Hey there....this'll be short. Ranma people belong to Rumiko Takahashi-megamisama, Marvel people and concepts belong to Stan Lee and Marvel. Hope you enjoy. Oh, and all C & C's are to be sent to eternallostboy@hotmail.com. Please, responses are what drives me to write, and constructive criticism is always welcome. So are prereaders, if you guys want the job....don't be shy, just email me to let me know. Ja ne!  
  
Volcano Girls, by The Talk Of The Town  
Chapter 1: Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi  
  
  
Ukyo stared out at the last two customers as they left Ucchan's. They were a couple of gaijin, from America, and it seemed that they knew each other. They weren't that pleased to see each other, especially the big, blond, muscular one. From what little English Ukyo understood, the brown-haired one had said not to fight in here, and we'll take it outside.  
  
*Hmm, guess it'll be a bit more wacky mayhem in Nerima tonight than usual...*, mused Ukyo as she locked the front door of Ucchan's. Sighing a bit as she stacked the chairs on the tables, she thought of Ranma Saotome, her best-friend and sometime fiancé. *God, I wish Ranchan would just smart up already and decide to marry me! I mean, I'm easily the best of the pack....I'm not psycho like Kodachi, not overly aggressive and a bimbo like Shampoo, and I'm not violent and a horrible cook like Akane. Plus, he said he thinks I'm cute.....what's wrong with him?*  
  
As she mused on Ranma's feet-dragging on the fiancee issue, Konatsu walked in from the back. "Are we almost done closing, Ukyo-sama?"  
  
Ukyo replied, "Yeah, Ko-chan, we're almost ready...I'm just going to grill up a 'yaki for myself before I close up the grill. Want one?"   
  
"No, thank you, I'm not hungry. Will it be alright for me to leave then?" Konatsu asked warily. He didn't like leaving Ukyo alone to do any work by herself, but if she said she could handle it, he'd leave her to it and get home quickly to change into his fighting gear....he didn't like the look to those two gaijin that came in earlier, and something was spurring him to find them and keep tabs on them.  
  
"Sure, Konatsu, it's not a problem," Ukyo replied happily. "Just remember that I need you to come in an hour earlier tomorrow, cause I have that meeting at school."  
  
"Of course, Ukyo-sama. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Konatsu bowed deeply and left.  
  
Ukyo shook her head and smirked. "That Konatsu...he sure is a piece of work. Now, to that okonomiyaki, I'm hungry." She turn to the grill to begin.  
  
Now, one must understand that Ukyo was a Grandmaster of okonomiyaki, both the martial art and the cooking. So one would understand if she only paid minimal attention to her cooking to let her mind drift to her Ranchan, in yet another one of her fantasies of him and her being together.  
  
However, one WOULD understand her complete attention being caught by the spatula in her hand beginning to glow, faint purple at first, but increasingly brighter and brighter until it seemed to outshine the lightbulbs above her head. Ukyo was so startled she dropped the glowing spat on the floor, where it promptly blew up with enough force to knock her against the wall.  
  
In utter shock, Ukyo mumbled "What the hell was that?"  
  
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As soon as he walked out of Ucchan's, Konatsu knew where the two gaijin were...their trail was quite evident by the overturned car, the smashed mailbox, and the fragments of...well, he wasn't sure what it was. If he didn't know better, he'd say they were huge strands of web.  
  
Just then, he heard a muffled explosion from the inside of Ucchan's. He ran in to find Ukyo with a shocked look on her face, and blackened marks on the floor and walls by where she sat.  
  
"Ukyo-sama!!! What happened??" shouted Konatsu as he ran to help her up. *Thank the Kami, she's unhurt, just slightly stunned.* he thought, relieved.  
  
"I don't know...I was making myself an Ucchan Special, then all of a sudden the spatula I was holding started glowing, and I dropped it and it blew up! Konatsu, what's happening?"  
  
"I have no idea, Ukyo-sama, but rest assured I won't rest until you're safe," Konatsu intoned gravely.  
  
This took Ukyo slightly aback. "Um, Konatsu, I doubt this is world shattering news....I should be fine, just give me a couple of minutes."  
  
Sighing, Konatsu replied, "Very well, Ukyo-sama. If you say you're alright...."  
  
"I'm fine, I'm fine," replied Ukyo hurriedly. "Now would you stop fussing over me, sugar, and help me up?" She affixed Konatsu with a quick grin and offered her hands.  
  
"Why, of course," Konatsu replied while flashing Ukyo his own grin. "You're sure you're alright?"  
  
"Yeah, just a bit startled...why did it start to glow like that?"  
  
Konatsu frowned. "In this town, you have no way of knowing how weirdness starts."  
  
"Hmm...that's a point. Still, it's almost as if I made it do that," mused Ukyo aloud. Louder, she said, "Do you know of any martial arts techniques for infusing weapons with energy?"  
  
Konatsu blinked. "Um, I know of one esoteric technique for charging a weapon with ki, but that has no real applications against human opponents, and is extremely hard to do anyway. Only someone with Ranma or Ryoga's ki control could do it. Besides, it wouldn't cause a weapon to explode like that. Charging a weapon with ki isn't like using ki-powered kicks and punches, or even a blast of ki. While a blast of ki has concussive properties, a weapon imbued with ki only charges it with spiritual energy, and doesn't give it any more power than it usually would have, unless you're fighting the undead, in which case..."  
  
"Okay, Professor Konatsu, I think I get it," interrupted Ukyo. "But I didn't think what happened had anything to do with ki. I never was good at ki-manipulation. Do you think there's some other kind of energy that the body produces that I might have channeled into the spatula, causing it to explode?"  
  
Konatsu fixed Ukyo with a bewildered stare. "Ukyo-sama," he began in a wary tone, "why would you think YOU made the spatula blow up?"  
  
Ukyo looked at him, though whether it was with annoyance or with interest wasn't certain. "Well, it's either that or some weird spirit invaded my spatula and made it blow up. Right now, I'd rather I have caused it. Cause if I did...."  
  
"If you did, then what, Ukyo-sama?" Konatsu asked, very nervous.  
  
"If I did....then MAN am I going to kick Shampoo's and Kodachi's asses!"  
  
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Shampoo sneezed.  
  
"Great-granddaughter! Come in before you catch your death of cold!" yelled Cologne out to the backyard of the Nekohanten where Shampoo was woolgathering.  
  
"Aiya! I be fine, Great-Grandmother. It no cold outside tonight." Shampoo yelled back. She was enjoying herself, just sitting out in back and staring up at the sky. She hadn't realized exactly how stressful trying to make Airen finally decide to come back to China is. Fun, yes, but stressful as all get-out.  
  
Just then she was treated to a sight more befitting the steel-and-glass canyons of New York City than the suburban feel of Nerima. A blue-and-red spandex clad gentleman with a spider emblazoned on his back was flying through the air on strands of what appeared to be spiderwebs, if spiders were the size of humans. He was shouting, "I swear, it's a total coincidence that I ran into you here, Eddie!! I am NOT following you, I just wanted to come to Japan, catch some kabuki, eat some sushi, say hi to the Emperor, that sort of thing."  
  
This was apparently directed at a huge, muscular man wearing a similar outfit to the first, only in blue-black with a huge white spider on his chest. "We don't care if you followed us or not, Spiderman! We shall have our vengance, and also a light snack...I'm pretty sure your brain isn't enough for a full meal," replied the black-clad gentleman with glee.  
  
Shampoo watched this, with a look that said, "What else can happen in crazy city?" Then, she actually said, "Great-grandmother, Shampoo go out for while, be back later." With that, she took off across the rooftops following those two weird guys.   
  
"Hmm, Great-granddaughter is probably going out to look for Ranma again. It's quite late, though...I worry about her sometimes,"mused Cologne.  
  
"Would you like me to follow her and make sure nothing bad happens to her??" Mousse said quite enthusiastically while walking back to the kitchen, eager to help protect his darling Shampoo. He was promptly greeted by a splash of cold water.  
  
"No, useless boy," Cologne snapped while putting down the bucket that was seconds ago filled with cold water. "I need you to stay here and close up."  
  
"Quack quack QUACK!!!" replied Mousse-duck vehemently.  
  
"WHAT did you say to me boy?" asked Cologne with a dangerous gleam in her eye, one that said 'I feel like having roast Peking Duck for dinner'.  
  
"quack quack..." said Mousse weakly.  
  
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Shampoo followed the two weird guys, while not exactly knowing why. *For some reason, feel like following crazy men,* thought Shampoo. *It feel...right.*  
  
Right it may have been, but it sure wasn't easy. They both had agility that surpassed Ranma's, and that was a lot. It was all Shampoo could do to keep up with them, and even then she was badly winded when they stopped. As they stopped jumping around and started to engage each other in battle, Shampoo regained her bearings. She was at the scientific facility at the very edge of Nerima, known as Mishima Heavy Industries. Why these two came here, she didn't know. But, with the amount of skill they had displayed, she might as well stick around and watch the fight; who knows, she may have to face them someday, and it would help if she had something to work on.  
  
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Peter Parker was thinking to himself, *That's the last time I decide to accompany Dr. Connors anywhere outside of Manhattan. First that horrible pizzeria in Queens, now this....*  
  
Peter, or the amazing Spiderman as he's usually known in this getup, had accompanied his friend Dr. Curt Connors to Nerima Ward, Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Connors was doing some work with a Japanese scientist by the name of Dr. Sakura Okun on his Neogenic Recombiner, and the Japanese contingent had a much more reliable and consistent model than his own. He had asked Spiderman along because of his stake in this research, but he obviously didn't count on Eddie Brock, AKA Venom to be in Japan as well. Peter supposed it was his dumb luck that he ran into Venom while getting something to eat. *Well, enough pondering, time to do something about this,* thought Peter while jumping foward to engage the symbiote powered madman.  
  
"Ah yes, Parker, you thought you could escape us, but now you decide to face us like a man! I like that....maybe we'll eat your nervous system quickly, so as to spare you the added pain....NAHHHHH!" taunted Venom as he lunged forward with a swipe intended to remove a limb from Spiderman's body.  
Spidey expertly jumped over Venom, avoiding the claw swipe, and fired twin web-balls at either arm, hoping to pin Venom down and buy some time. It half worked, pinning one arm but missing the other. "I keep telling you this, you wouldn't like eating me Eddie....I'm all skin and bones! Wouldn't you prefer eating some nice thick Kingpin-burgers instead?" Spidey teased as he went up into the higher branches of a tree to give himself some room to maneuver.  
  
Venom was losing his temper quickly, so he cut the chatter, snapped the webbed-up arm free, and leaped up towards Spidey again, only to miss again.  
  
Shampoo marveled at the speed and agility of both combatants. *They both too-too strong and fast. Though this is like when Ranma fight Lost Boy...Red and Blue Man too-too fast for Big Crazy Teeth Man, but Big Crazy Teeth Man much stronger,* she observed silently, unaware that she wasn't the only one observing the fight.  
  
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Kodachi Kuno watched the fight with little interest. She had been leaping about the city, finding suitable alligator chow for Midorigame (in the form of wounded sparrows, starlings, and squirrels) and daydreaming about her Ranma-sama when she happened upon the battle raging at Mishima Heavy Industries.  
  
"Hmm, I wonder what this is all about?" Kodachi asked herself silently. "Oh well, may as well sit around and watch, maybe I can take the loser home and comfort him..." If anyone had heard the way she said 'comfort', they would have run away from Kodachi, and fast.  
  
As she watched, she noted that the tree next to her had some interesting black stuff, apparently smeared off of the black-clad gentleman's costume. "Ah, could be the basis of a new toxin!" squeaked Kodachi. After making sure the combatants were on the other side of the yard, Kodachi leapt into the tree to examine the supposed toxin. When she got there, though, she noticed something unusual about the black substance. It had the appearance of a slime mold, but it wasn't slimy. It was black with streaks of red in it, and it almost seemed to be reaching out to Kodachi.  
  
Kodachi, being the insane soul that she is, perceived it as such. "Oh, come to me, my little substance! OH-HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!!!!!!" laughed Kodachi maniacally as the 'substance' crawled up her arm, and seemed to cocoon her entire body, then seep into her skin. As it did this, a small smile crept across her face, and she uttered two words:  
  
"Blood Rose."  
  
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Spidey dodged yet another shot of Venom's webbing. "You know, it isn't exactly fair that you've got an endless supply of your webbing, while I've got only a certain amount of cartridges before I run out and have to make more."  
"Oh, quit your whining and come here so I can peel your eyes," said Venom with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I'm getting tired of chasing you around. A spider can only play with his prey for so long, you know."  
  
"Um, Venom, I'M the spider...I don't exactly know what arachnid you're supposed to be, but I had the spider first," witticismed Spidey as he leaped up against the large wall of the building. He was going to try a sneaky little trick here, he hoped it would work.  
  
"ARRRGH!!!" screamed Venom, almost in agony. *Good,* thought Spidey, *it'll work better if he's riled up.*  
  
As Venom leaped at where Spiderman was on the wall, Spidey leaped down and sprung back up, intending to nail Venom one on the chin. It would have worked too, but....  
  
A beam of yellowish-green energy lanced in Spiderman's direction, and hit him square in the side. It didn't hurt in the slightest, but it distracted him long enough for him to lose his trajectory and land on the floor. As he landed, he traced the path of the beam, leading him to notice it hit a girl over on the far side of the yard. When he looked up at Venom, he was long gone.  
  
"Guess the big palooka wasn't that itchy to finish me off after all. Now to check on the girl over there," said Spidey as he ran over to the girl.  
  
He noticed she wasn't Japanese, but Chinese, and wearing a burgundy silk pantsuit decorated with flower embroidery. She had amethyst colored hair, up in twin buns on either side of her head, and twin ponytails right underneath the buns. She was conscious and breathing; he noted her chestnut eyes, almost as an afterthought. He said in fairly good Japanese, though accented, Are you okay, Miss...?  
  
"Name is Shampoo...who you?" asked Shampoo. *What was weird light that hit Shampoo? I feel funny...* she added silently.  
  
As she sat up, he replied, Guess you folks over here don't hear much about US superheroes...I'm Spiderman. With that, he offered his hand to help her up.  
  
"Spider-man? Why you called that?" asked Shampoo warily.  
  
Oh, cause I have the proportionate strength, speed, and agility of a spider, I can stick to walls like one, and I know how to make webbing. Why are you called Shampoo? asked Spidey. *Hey, I may be named after a creepy-crawly, but at least I'm not named after a hair-care product!* he thought indignantly.  
  
"That what Mother call me," Shampoo said quickly, not wanting to stay on such a mundane subject when she needed to know what had hit her before. "What was crazy light that hit Shampoo before?"  
Oh, that, said Spidey. Well, I'm not sure, but I can take you back to my friend's lab, and he can tell you that better than I can. Would you like me to carry you, Miss Shampoo?  
  
"What Shampoo look like?? I no need man help for anything!" And with that, she stood up and said, "Which way to friend house?"  
  
*Great....a nation built on conformity and I have to run into the ONE feminist....* Why don't you follow me, if you can keep up that is, said Spidey slyly. *Let's see her jaw hit the floor when she sees she's got to hit the rooftops...*  
  
Spidey jumped onto the roof of Mishima, motioning for Shampoo to follow. Which she did...and also overshot the roof by about 90 feet.  
  
"Whoa," marveled Spiderman. "Whatever that beam was, it sure did help her vertical."  
  
The funny thing is, the exact same thought was going through Shampoo's head.  
  
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Kodachi leapt and soared through the Ginza, delighted in her newfound power. She leaped from building to building, effortlessly, as if jumping from block to block in hopscotch.  
  
"Ahhhh....how WONDERFUL it feels to have the wind whip by!" shouted Kodachi as she reveled in the ecstacy of her symbiotic bond.  
  
Apparently, the substance she had found was the offspring of Venom's symbiotic costume. Where the Venom symbiote was a mutant strain, unlike its brethren in that it wanted to share in the host's experiences instead of taking the host over, this offspring was even farther from the mold still. It was a mere template, and without a bond it would have died in a matter of hours. Once bonded, the bond was so complete that the symbiote and the host were truly one organism.  
Gestating in the Earth's atmosphere also gave the offspring the power of it's parent, it's host, AND itself.  
  
The symbiote had told Kodachi this much when it first bonded with her. And as it bonded with her, and took on her personality and augmented it, it planted a suggestion for a new nickname, one to replace the Black Rose. After all, she wasn't going to be just black anymore....  
  
Now she was black, interspersed with a red as crimson as fresh blood. And for that, an appropriate name....the Blood Rose.  
  
"You know," mused Kodachi aloud, "I need a new look. How about this?" With that, she commanded her symbiote to shift it's form around her.  
  
The new garb she wore was reminicent of a full bodysuit, skintight. All in black with red streaks splashed around it, it had a rose applique in blood red on the left breast. No longer was she Kodachi, the Black Rose. Now, she was simply the Blood Rose.  
  
And she would have Ranma-sama...at ALL costs.  
  
It is at this point that we note that maybe Kodachi isn't the best person to be wearing something that gives her ungodly strength, speed, agility, and the ability to make just about any weapon she can think of.  
  
As she laughed at how easy it would now be to kill all her competition for Ranma-sama, she extended a tendril of her costume to a far building, not unlike webbing, and swung towards the Kuno estate. She may be able to win Ranma at any time now, but a girl DOES need her beauty sleep.  
  
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	2. Volcano Girls, Chapter 2: The Sisters Te...

Volcano Girls, by Talk Of The Town  
Chapter 2: The Sisters Tendo  
  
  
A sizzling orange burst flew from her hand, and liquified the asphalt where it struck. She hovered intently, demanding one last time, "Where is he, you demented bitch?!?"  
  
Said demented bitch shrugged from where she was standing, several feet away from the melting, bubbling blacktop. She was laughing maniacally, and rather familiarly. "Now now, I wouldn't dare tell you where my darling is...you might try something like take him away from me." As she said this, a long tendril of costume snaked away from her arm, unbeknownst to the first party. This tendril slowly took shape in the form of a large scythe-like weapon, intended to be thrown at said first party.  
  
From where she hovered, the first party couldn't help but think she had heard that laugh somewhere before. Oh well, no time to think about that now. She quickly built up another blast to fire at the figure clad in black-and-blood. "If you don't tell me where he is in 5 seconds, I swear, I will fry you to a crisp, or my name isn't Firestar," she said, dangerously calm and in control.  
  
"Oh, but why wait 5 seconds?" With that, the Blood Rose threw her blade at Firestar. It disintegrated in the wake of a massive blast of microwaves emitted by Firestar, and the Blood Rose, once known as Kodachi Kuno, also disintegrated under the intense heat and radiation.  
  
One look at what Firestar did, and her face froze in a tapestry of shock and fear. She had lost control, like she always did, and now......  
  
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Akane awoke with a yelp. *Man, what a weird dream. I mean, I was....what was I doing? Kuso, I hate when I forget my dreams, especially the ones I want to remember. All I seem to remember is that I did something that I regretted, and it wasn't pleasant. Oh well...it was just a dream.* rationalized Akane as she groggily pulled herself out of bed. *What time is it? Seems rather late in the day...*  
  
It was actually around 10 o'clock, which was late for Akane. Even though she was on break from school, she usually woke at about 8 or so to do some light training before breakfast. "Oh well," she said aloud. "Guess I'll have to make that lunch in this case. Hmm, wonder where that baka of a fiancé is? He might actually want to spar today," she hoped. Then she remembered what he considered sparring with her, and sighed resignedly. "Well, at least I can practice those kata I saw him doing yesterday...they looked simple enough."  
  
With this statement, she slipped into her favorite yellow gi and walked down to the dojo. She did a couple of warmup stretches, idly noting that she felt quite limber and warmed already. Almost as if she had been in a sauna, only nowhere near as uncomfortable a heat.  
  
She slowly began the dancelike kata that Ranma had been doing yesterday. She slid gracefully into each movement, letting herself get lost in the moment. Her mind went blank as she concentrated on each stance, every individual kick and punch, getting them down perfectly.  
Slowly, her mind began to come back from its blank state, and it immediately began to register things as wrong. For one, where was that weird orange haze coming from? It almost seemed to be emanating from her. For another, she didn't sense her feet hitting the ground when she moved; it was like she was floating or something. She wondered whether this is how Ranma felt when going through katas, when she looked down and realized something rather startling.  
  
She WAS floating, and she WAS emanating a faint orange glow.  
  
With that, she let out a short yelp and fell down to the floor. Luckily, she was only a couple of feet in the air, so she didn't hurt herself.  
  
Akane looked down at herself in horror. "What the hell was that?" she asked herself in a whisper, barely audible, yet loud and discordant in her ears.   
  
Suddenly, she heard the sliding door that connected the dojo with the rest of the house open, and Kasumi's head popped in, wearing a typical Kasumi smile. "Good morning Akane! There's still some breakfast left for you when you're finished practicing," she beamed.  
  
Akane shook herself out of the daze she was in. "Hai, Kasumi...I'll be there in a minute," she said uncertainly.  
  
Kasumi noted Akane's hesitation, and asked, "Are you alright, Akane? You seem to be slightly upset about something."  
  
*More like shocked and scared as hell...* Aloud, she said, "No, it's nothing Kasumi, I just fell while doing a kata I saw Ranma doing."  
  
"Ah, alright then Akane-chan. Breakfast is waiting," Kasumi said, satisfied with the answer. She then disappeared to return to the kitchen to get started on cleanup.  
  
"I have to find out what in Kami's name that was," stated Akane quietly. "But, breakfast would belp..."  
  
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Nabiki was sorting through her files, organizing everything for when school would start in 3 weeks. *Yeah, I've got time to do this still....but I'm bored,* thought Nabiki.  
  
Since break had started a week ago, Nabiki had been bored as sin. All the usual suspects were being waaaay too quiet for her liking. The Kunos had barely been heard from, Ryoga was lost in Kami knows where, the China contingent had been busy with an unusual upturn in business at the Nekohanten, and so had the Ucchan's. Even Ranma and his father were fairly tranquil.  
  
Previous experience told her that this wasn't unlike the calm before the storm. And considering how calm things had been, she was expecting a huge blowup.  
She shook herself out of her reverie and found something that interested her. *Oh, I haven't looked at this in a while,* Nabiki murmured internally. Her backlog of photos of Ranma-chan and Akane that she sold to Kuno.  
  
While flipping through the makeshift album, fondly recollecting the memories of each photo, she noticed some heavy condensation on the page she had just had her hand on. "That's weird...I don't even feel cold," she said to no one in particular. She touched her hands together, and they felt perfectly normal, neither colder than the other. She put the album down, and walked over to the thermostat right outside the door of her room. She checked the temperature: 74 degrees, which was the temperature outside, meaning neither the air conditioner nor the heater was on. "Hmm, how odd," said Nabiki quizzically. As she leaned against the wall, tapping her pen thoughtfully on her lip trying to puzzle this out, she idly noted that the pen felt rather heavy and cold against her lip. She glanced down, noted the pen was covered in ice from her fingertips up, then looked back to the thermostat, still wondering why there would be condensation.....  
  
Wait, her brain said. Stop all activity, and look at the pen again.  
  
She slowly took her brain's advice and looked down. Yes, that pen was covered in ice.  
  
Nabiki slowly walked back to her room, closed her door gently, put the pen down on her desk, then plopped into her chair. "NOW what the hell is going on!?!?!?" Nabiki practically yelled, losing all semblance of control.  
  
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"Where are Ranma and Saotome-kaasan, anyway?" Akane inquired of Kasumi.  
  
"Oh, they went on some sort of short training trip for the weekend," informed the eldest Tendo sister. "Saotome-kaasan seemed in quite a hurry to leave. Ranma didn't look so enthusiastic, though. I hope they're having fun."  
  
"Hmph. Just like that insensitive baka to leave without telling anyone," grumbled Akane. *Great,* she added mentally, *I was hoping he would help me figure out what the hell happened before. That moron may be an insensitive hentai, but he does know what he's doing with martial arts. Maybe he could have helped me figure out what was going on...."  
  
"Um, Akane? Could you do me a favor and take this book back to Dr. Tofu for me? I've been meaning to return it, but I keep forgetting to," asked Kasumi.  
  
Akane said distractedly, "Hmmm? Oh, sure Kasumi-oneechan." *Maybe Dr. Tofu will know what to make of it?*  
  
Having said that (mentally at least), she took the book from Kasumi and hurried out. She wanted an answer to what was going on, and fast.  
  
She didn't notice the title of the book, or its import to the situation; Human Genetics: A Study of Anomalies.  
  
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Kasumi gave a small smile. As she watched her youngest sister walk off to find out more about what changes she was going through, she gave a thought to her other sister, Nabiki. *Well, Nabiki's a bright girl, she should be able to figure it out soon enough. Still, a nudge in the right direction doesn't hurt,* thought Kasumi, as she idly turned back to the sink.  
  
When she turned back, she realized she had left the washcloth over in the dining room. "Oh my. When will I ever stop being so forgetful?" Kasumi tried to frown, but couldn't quite pull it off. Shrugging, she raised her hand and concentrated on the washcloth. It easily levitated off of the table and hovered over to her hand, where she closed her fingers around it gently, as if it were porcelain.  
  
*Well, I do hope Nabiki figures it out soon,* mused Kasumi as she started wiping down the kitchen counter. *I have a feeling they'll need their powers soon...*  
  
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Nabiki looked at the ice melting off of her pen. She struggled to grasp what was going on, but got nowhere.  
  
"Okay, let's look at this logically," Nabiki said, in an attempt to calm herself. "I notice that the page I had been holding in my album has heavy condensation on it, when while I was touching it it didn't feel cold in the slightest. Then, the pen I had been holding when I went to check the thermostat was covered in ice from my fingertips on, yet I still didn't feel it. Could it be that I'mthe one that's making things cold around here?"  
  
She frowned at that; everyone already called her the Ice Queen, she didn't need physical proof of that as well. Still, she couldn't help but wonder....  
  
"Ah, I got it! A test," Nabiki declared triumphantly. "This oughta prove that I'm not some weirdo like everyone else around here. Now, all I need is something....ah, that's it!" She looked over at her electric blanket, which was out of her closet and plugged in for some reason. "Funny, it's like someone set it up here so that I would find it."  
  
Down in the kitchen, Kasumi sneezed loud enough for Nabiki to hear her.  
  
Ignoring the sneeze and the funny feeling she was getting, she went over to find that it felt warm to the touch, about 85 degrees at her estimate. "Okay, time to see how much of the meditative techniques I remember from when I was little," said Nabiki. She closed her eyes, and willed her mind to a blank state. Then she concentrated on her hands, imagining them radiating cold force.  
  
Had her eyes been open, she would have boggled at the sight of her hands with what appeared to be shards of ice condensing in the air around her wrists. But, she didn't, she only noted that she felt...something about the air around her hands. Shrugging mentally, she reached out to grab the blanket.  
  
As she grabbed it, she opened her eyes when her tactile sense noted that the blanket had gone rigid. The sight that greeted her sent many different emotions through her. One was amazement that her electric blanket was now a sheet of fabric encased in ice. Another was excitement that she was able to do that, and so easily. Yet another was shock, for the same reason as her excitement. And lastly, she felt annoyed, for she'd have to buy a new electric blanket.  
  
"So," Nabiki began, voice tingling with amusement, "I did freeze my pen. And my blanket. This could prove to be quite intriguing..."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Akane knocked on the door of Dr. Tofu's clinic, then walked in. She was rather in a hurry to figure out what exactly was going on with her, and patience was never one of her virtues. "Tofu- sensei? Are you there?" she asked, slightly nervous.  
  
"Ah, Akane-chan! How are you? Not ill, I hope," ventured Dr. Tofu, who waltzed into the waiting room where Akane was currently.  
  
"Well...." began Akane, clutching the book that Kasumi gave her to return, before remembering that was the reason she had come in the first place. "First, I need to give this to you. Kasumi thanks you for lending it to her."  
  
"Ka-Ka-Kasumi?" stuttered Tofu, as his glasses began to fog over.  
  
"Um, Tofu-sensei, please don't go to pieces now, there is something I need to talk to you about that is very urgent," Akane pleaded.  
  
That seemed to snap Tofu out of it. "What is it Akane?" he asked softly.  
  
Akane launched into a recap of what had happened earlier today, beginning with the weird dream that she couldn't remember. When she had finished, she said, "Well? What could that have been?"  
  
Tofu had been listening intently; now he said, "I don't know what to make of it, Akane. Perhaps you can show me what happened?"  
  
Akane looked puzzled. "But how can I repeat that?"  
  
"You said you were doing a kata when you started glowing," stated Tofu. "What were you thinking of when you were doing it?"  
  
"Well, I just let my mind go blank, and concentrated on flowing smoothly into each move."  
  
"I see," muttered Tofu. Louder, he asked, "Do you think you can do the same thing, just let your mind go blank? Right now, I mean."  
  
Akane blinked. "I...I guess so. But why?"  
  
"I want to try something. If my guess is correct, you may be able to control it. Now, let your mind go blank and try summoning the glow."  
  
Akane looked apprehensive, but went ahead. She closed her eyes, and let her mind concentrate on nothing but summoning the glow.  
  
Tofu winced in shock when he saw a bright orange aura flare up around Akane. Idly, he noted that her hair became suffused with reddish streaks mixed in with the black. He crept a bit closer, while saying in a calm voice that gave away none of the fear he was currently feeling, "Alright, Akane, just concentrate on that now."  
  
Akane just sat there, still glowing.  
  
As Tofu approached, he noted that the closer he came to Akane, the warmer he felt. *Well, this definitely isn't ki-based...ki doesn't warm air up like that,* thought Tofu glumly; he had been hoping for an easy explanation to this puzzle. Suddenly, an inspiration hit him. He walked over to his closet and retrieved an unusual box. It had a probe at one end that looked like a mutant microphone, and a gauge with lots of numbers on it.  
  
Tofu silently thanked his friend at Mishima Heavy Industries for lending him the Geiger counter. He didn't think he'd ever need it, but he had obviously been proven wrong. Switching it on, he frowned when he noted that the device began to go crazy the moment it was activated. *Either this thing is broken, or Akane's radiating heavy doses of microwaves,* he chuckled internally. Then, the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Tofu dropped the Geiger counter as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.  
  
Swallowing the forming lump in his throat, Tofu said with a slightly trembling voice, "One last thing, Akane. Follow my voice, point where it's coming from, and imagine firing the glow in this direction." He quickly got behind the steel door leading from his office to the waiting room. "Okay, now!!" Tofu yelled, so as to be heard through the closed door.  
  
All of a sudden, he was treated to the door being slagged, slowly but surely. He was then glad he decided to stand to one side of the doorway. "Okay, stop Akane!!!!" shouted Tofu in a slightly scared voice. He noted that the door seemed to stop actively melting.  
  
As he kicked the door open, so as not to touch the scorched metal, he told Akane, "Okay, open your eyes."  
  
Akane was then treated to the sight of the devastation she had wreaked on the door to Tofu's office. She had only one reply to that.  
  
She fainted.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Akane came to, she found that she had had some blood taken from her, and was resting in a bed in Tofu's clinic. "I really hope I was imagining that I melted the door like I did," said Akane aloud, trying to get Tofu's attention.  
  
"No, you weren't," Tofu said matter-of-factly from the next room. He sounded slightly distracted. "Akane, would you come in here please?"  
  
Akane complied, sliding out of bed and walking into his office, all the while staring at the door she slagged. "So, what's wrong with me, Tofu-sensei?" she asked point blank.  
  
"Nothing is wrong with you, Akane. You're just..." Tofu stopped, trying to think of the best way to explain this, then arriving at the solution. "Have you been watching the news lately, Akane?"  
  
Puzzled by the non-sequitur, she said, "Um, yes, but why?"  
  
"Well, there has been mention lately of occurrences in America of super-powered people, people whose genes allow them to perform superhuman feats. Have you heard anything about that?" inquired Tofu.  
  
"Yes," Akane said warily. "I don't understand what that would have to do with.....wait, you don't think?"  
  
"I drew some blood before, when you fainted," Tofu started with the explanation for his rationale. "With my limited capabilities here, I was able to extract some of your DNA. Upon close examination, it was quite different in certain areas. The exact areas that are different from the norm in most of these...I believe they are called 'mutants', for lack of a better term."  
  
Akane just stared, dumbfounded.  
  
Taking that as a sign to continue, Tofu continued. "I could have been wrong, so I sent the DNA sample to my friend in America, a renowned geneticist by the name of Dr. Henry McCoy, via email. Hopefully, with any luck, I should get the results in...." With that, a beep emitted from his computer, signaling he had new mail.  
  
"Well, that was rather quick," Tofu said. As he stood up to go to the computer, he saw Akane bolt for the monitor, and click on the New Mail Icon. As she started reading, she began to wonder whether this...power she apparently had was a good or a bad thing.  
  
"Dear Tofu-san,  
  
Well well, it seems that you have a young prodigy on your hands. From what you describe of her, she already has incredible control over her power, and it only manifested today as well! Such control is rare to find in today's youth. But, to business; as you can tell from how I speak, your results were on the money. She is definitely a mutant. Her DNA indicates that she has the ability to generate and radiate microwave radiation at will. It also indicates a practical immunity against radiation, meaning that she won't become sterile from using her power. She has some incredible potential, especially if she can control it as well as you say this soon after her power's manifestation. Should she be interested in joining our merry little band here, just write me, and I'll talk to the Professor. In the meantime, watch over her. And for goodness sake, ask this Kasumi that you keep speaking of out already! Until next time then, old friend.  
  
Yours,  
  
Dr. Hank McCoy"  
  
One result of that letter was that Akane decided that this power was definitely not a bad thing. Another was the ego boost of someone she didn't know praising her on her talent and ability. And one final one was that she was determined to use this power to protect people, and to hone her ability in the Art.  
  
If you're wondering how her mind made such a grandiose leap, suffice it to say that she was so dazzled by the mere possibility of outdoing Ranma in SOMETHING that she became quite ambitious.  
  
"Tofu-sensei, will you help me train in this ability?" pleaded Akane. Right now, she needed to trust Tofu, because he was in a position to help her out. Besides, she was pretty sure all this was covered by doctor-patient privilege...wasn't it?  
  
Tofu was taken aback. "Um, sure Akane...but wouldn't Dr. McCoy and his friends be better suited for that?  
  
"No, I don't want to leave here for that," replied Akane quickly. "Besides, I trust you to help me out."  
  
Tofu sweatdropped. "Thanks, I think. Well, when do we begin?"  
  
"Tomorrow. Meet me at the dojo by 7 AM?"  
  
"Sure, Akane."  
  
"Oh, and Tofu-sensei?"  
  
"Yes Akane?  
  
"When ARE you going to ask Kasumi out?" A small smile crept across Akane's lips. Finding out exactly what was going on made her feel immensely better; hence the subject change.  
  
The combination of total subject change and the mere thought of Kasumi caused Tofu to fall flat on his face.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	3. Volcano Girls, Chapter 3: Training

Volcano Girls, by The Talk Of The Town  
Chapter 3: Training  
  
  
Tofu knocked on the door of the dojo, hoping that Akane would come to the door before he ended waking anyone up. Especially not Kasumi. The last thing he needed would be to fog out now, when Akane needed him to help her train. Though, truth be told, he didn't know how he could help her, she seemed to be pretty on top of control of her power.  
  
The door slid open slowly, and Akane's head peeked out. "Tofu-sensei, come in," she said softly, so as not to wake anyone.  
  
*Hmm, she seems rather subdued,* Tofu noted. Aloud, he said, "Thank you, Akane. Are you alright?"  
  
"Hai," came the automatic reply. Akane wasn't paying the good doctor much attention, though, as she was walking back to where she had set up a large slab of lead. "Do you think this would be good for target practice?"  
  
Tofu blinked. "Um, yes, it should suffice....but why would you want to practice accuracy?"  
  
"Well, last night when I got home, I practiced in my room. It turns out that the ability to control my power comes very easily to me. In fact, I even figured out how to fly!" Akane brightened considerably at the mention of that. "Here, let me show you."  
  
All of a sudden, Akane was surrounded by a bright orange glow, very similar to her battle aura, only with a larger radius. She then began to float. Slowly, she rose to the ceiling of the dojo, circled the dojo once, then sunk to the floor.  
  
Amazed, Tofu stuttered, "B-b-but how?"  
  
Akane shrugged. "I don't know how, all I know is I concentrate on floating, and I do it. And I can fire beams of energy, too, all I have to do is concentrate on doing it, and it's done. Watch."  
  
With that, Akane raised her hand, palm out. Then, a lance of orange-yellow energy flared out, and flew to where the lead wall was. It struck the wall and bored a hole halfway through, leaving slagged metal leaking out.  
  
"Akane, I don't mean to be rude, but you seem to be quite proficient already with your powers...why do you need me?" Tofu asked nervously.  
  
"Because I can't tell anyone about this," Akane said sadly. "I mean, you've heard the horrors that the mutants in America go through, the discrimination. I cannot, will not put my family through that. I need someone I can trust, to confide in about this stuff, and I trust you to keep my secret. The way I see it, I can work on my power, perfect it, and use it to help people. I may have to wear a mask, but it'll be worth it." At this, Akane flushed with pride, but also with apprehension.  
  
"Oh, you mean like the X-Men, or Spiderman, or something like that?" Tofu said matter-of- factly.  
  
"H-hai," Akane affirmed uncertainly. "How do you know about those? I only started looking up stuff on them last night, but they certainly seem to be the big fish over in America."  
  
"Akane, do you remember the name of the gentleman I sent over your DNA to for confirmation of your power?"  
  
"Oh....yes, Dr. Henry McCoy. Why?"  
  
"He is a member of the X-Men....his alias is Beast, if I recall."  
  
"Really??" Akane said excitedly. "The X-Men think I'm good enough to work with them??"  
  
"Well, yes....but I thought you didn't want to leave Nerima?" Tofu was taken aback by Akane's sudden enthusiasm.  
  
"I don't. I want to help out here. But it certainly does feel good when someone acknowledges me as having talent and skill. Unlike some people..." Akane's face darkened upon thinking of Ranma's constant berating of her skill.  
  
"Um, Akane, please calm down, you're beginning to glow..." Tofu said, very nervous now. "That's one thing you have to learn...you can't let your temper get the best of you. You have to be in utter control of yourself at all times, because if I understand this correctly, you currently are powerful enough to totally microwave Tokyo, and soon enough you'll have enough power at your fingertips to turn the planet to nothing but a burning cinder. I strongly suggest you learn to ignore Ranma's jibes on you, either that or work it out with him, because now you're VERY dangerous to mess with."  
  
Akane just stared at Tofu in shock. "You mean I'm that powerful....?"  
  
"Yes, Akane. Now I see where I might be needed...."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nabiki took a good long soak in the furo, waiting on Akane to come up from her morning workout. It wouldn't do to have Akane watch her practice throwing ice around. She may love her little sister, but this was something she would rather keep to herself.  
  
Just then, as if summoned by being thought of, Akane waltzed in, draped in nothing but a towel and flushed from her workout. Her face was alighted with joy. *Man, it's wonderful to fly!* she thought happily on her progress. "Nabiki-oneechan! Ohayo! What are you doing up, you're usually not up till about 10 or so?" Akane queried as she noticed her older sister standing up from the furo.  
  
As Akane slid into the hot water, Nabiki pulled a towel around herself and got out. "Oh, just taking a soak to loosen me up a bit before I get a little workout in," she said.  
  
Akane put on a look of slight surprise at this announcement. "Workout? When did you start working out, Nabiki?"  
  
"Well, I've been bored, it's been too quiet around here lately. Need something to do, ne? Besides which, I think I'm putting on a couple of pounds, and without gym to work them off, I need to take care of myself," Nabiki said reasonably.  
  
"Oh," Akane muttered, unconvinced. "Well, have a good workout and all..."  
  
"Sure sis, I will," she smirked, and walked out of the bath.  
  
As soon as she walked out, Nabiki hurried over to her room and retrieved her red gi that she used to use for practice when she was younger, before she lost her taste for martial arts. "Hmm, little snug...time to get some new workout gear," she said to herself, something like irritation in her voice.  
  
When she got down to the dojo, she did a few stretches to work the kinks out, and did a kata to relax herself and get back into practice, and convince everyone that she was actually "working out". She was slow and hesitant with the kata, but she got the hang of it again by the time she finished. *Guess it's like riding a bike, you don't really forget,* she thought.  
  
After she finished and had relaxed her mind enough to concentrate, she stood in the middle of the dojo in a horseback riding stance, a typical stance used in practice to concentrate.. Concentrating on radiating cold air from every inch of her body, she half-closed her eyes and willed the cold force. All of a sudden, she was treated to the moisture in the air condensing, becoming snowflakes, and melting again, only to re-condense. The air swirled about her, a snowstorm enclosed within a sphere of about 3 meters wide, centered on Nabiki. She widened her eyes, impressed with herself for the control she already showed. Then, suddenly, she spotted one of the bricks that Akane liked to break to let off steam. *Hell, she shouldn't mind my borrowing one of her bricks for target practice,* Nabiki thought to herself as she turned to face the brick.  
  
Concentrating once again, she summoned the cold around her hands, then gave a mental command to fire the cold force at the brick. Suddenly, a pale blue-white beam shot from her hands, striking the brick with a bit of force, enough to shift it slightly from where it was positioned.  
  
With a patented Nabiki smirk, she waltzed over to examine the brick. Sure enough, it was completely covered in translucent ice, about a centimeter thick.  
  
"Not bad, considering I just learned I could do this yesterday," Nabiki murmured with pride. With that, she grabbed the brick, careful not to let it drop, and placed it outside, in a corner where no one could find a brick encased in ice in the middle of the summer. Setting the brick down, she said, "Now, how can I use this to increase my profit margin? I could keep all water that strikes Ranma cold, thereby getting more pictures of him as a girl...." She walked back towards the house, scheming of more ways to make money off of her new little gift.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey Konatsu," Ukyo shouted at her employee/confidant from across the Ucchan's as she hung up the phone, "that was my supplier. He said he'd give me my mini-spats at a huge discount, something like 75% off, for being such a good customer! This is great!"  
  
"That's good, Ukyo-sama," Konatsu said. Then he stopped, blinked, and added, "Why did he give you such a good discount?"  
  
Ukyo looked slightly sheepish. "Well, I ordered 2000 of them...if I paid full price for them, I'd have to mortgage the Ucchan's."  
  
Konatsu boggled. "Why do you need so many?"  
  
"Well, I've been thinking. You know how in Juuban they have the Sailor Senshi, getting rid of demons and all? I think I could do that around here, be like a superheroine."  
  
Konatsu went from boggling to flat out mental shutdown at this pronouncement. All he could manage to vocalize was, "Huh?"  
  
"Oh, bear with me, 'Natsu, cause I'm going to need your help, to train and the like. I've got a pretty good handle on my power, but I can get much better, and you can help me with not just that, but training in general, and also a costume, a name, and all that." Ukyo had a pleading look in her eyes. "Please, Konatsu? I need your help."  
  
This seemed to somewhat shake Konatsu out of his daze. He said softly, "Alright, Ukyo. I'll help you how I can. First things first, if you're serious about this superhero thing, you need a disguise; can't have you being recognized while out fighting crime, ne?"  
  
"That's the spirit! Well, what do you suggest?" Ukyo beamed.  
  
"You're going to want something that you can fight in, and that will help conceal your identity, and goes with your style. Here, I've got an idea, I'll show you over in the back room." With that, Konatsu led Ukyo to the back room, intent on helping his friend/employer become a superhero.  
  
Even if he did think she was crazy for doing it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After witnessing Shampoo leap about a hundred feet into the air, Spiderman decided he knew what the beam was, especially given their current location. He vaulted over to where Shampoo had landed. She appeared none the worse for wear. Are you alright, Shampoo? Spidey queried.  
  
"H-hai, Shampoo fine," she said uncertainly. "Why I jump that high? Usually Shampoo can only jump 10 meters."  
  
Spidey boggled. You're telling me you can usually jump 30 feet?? Nobody normal can jump like that.  
  
"I Amazon," she said simply. "Train very hard, since I was little girl. I one of the best martial artists in Nerima," she said with some pride.  
  
I see. Spidey looked slightly skeptical, but left it at that. Now, as for what happened to you, you were hit by a beam from a machine known as a Neogenic Recombiner. It takes characteristics of the first biological entity it hits and transfers them to the second one it hits. I got my powers because a spider got hit by a beam from it and then bit me. It seems that the beam took those same powers and transfered them to you now. Because you're already a good martial artist, and stronger and faster and more agile than a normal person, it made you that much stronger and faster and more agile.  
  
"Wow," Shampoo breathed. "Spiderman saying that Shampoo too-too powerful now!? Aiya, now I be able to beat stupid okonomiyaki girl and violent tomboy girl to win Ranma!" she squealed in excitement.  
  
Whoa, hold your horses there, missy, Spiderman said in a stern tone of voice. This isn't something you can use to take advantage of people. With such power as this, also comes a great responsibility.  
  
"What you talk about, responsibility?" Shampoo looked indignant. "I responsible."  
  
*God, this girl's about as self-righteous as J.J. Lot cuter, though,* thought Spidey. Aloud, he said, Shampoo, I'm going to tell you a story. It's a story of what happened shortly after I got my powers...  
  
After regaling Shampoo with the story of what happened to Uncle Ben, Shampoo looked slightly sad. "That horrible," she said soberly, as if just getting over being drunk.  
  
Let that be a lesson to you, Shampoo, that it doesn't matter that you have power, but it does matter that you use it correctly. Now, what are you going to do? Spidey couldn't help but sound like a lecturing parent.  
  
"Shampoo going to become crimefighter, help protect those who need help," she said quietly.  
  
Spidey looked taken aback; this wasn't what he was expecting. Um, ok Shampoo, if you really think you're up to it, I'll help you get on your feet. There isn't much I can teach you, you just have to remember what I said about responsibility. But, I can help you get a costume, and a name...  
  
At this, Shampoo looked slightly pissed. "What wrong with Shampoo for a name??" she said angrily.  
  
*Absolutely nothing, if you're a bottle of Pantene...* Keeping this thought silent, he said, Shampoo, you don't really think that Spiderman is my real name, do you? You need a secret identity, to keep your enemies away from you when you aren't in costume.  
  
"Oh," Shampoo said, with an apologetic look on her face. "Well, what Spiderman suggest?"  
  
Hmm.... Spidey mused aloud, as he thought of a name and look for Nerima's newest crimefighter.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kodachi lay in her bed and slept soundly.  
  
Obviously, she wasn't that interested in additional training.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	4. Volcano Girls, Chapter 4: Initial Contac...

Circuitry hummed. Electricity sizzled. Machinery whirred. Strange lights and consoles blinked.  
  
All in all, a typical day at Mishima Heavy Industries.  
  
At the center of it all, a lovely woman with long raven hair tied back in a ponytail, with piercing violet eyes that held a touch of mania to them, presided over the equipment, checking readings and making sure that everything was just so. Her name? Dr. Sakura Okun, head of Research and Development, and co-inventor of the Neogenic Recombiner. Just now, as a matter of fact, she was storing the long apparatus that served as the "gun" component of the Recombiner.  
  
"Hmm, have to keep track of that one," Dr. Okun mused aloud, referring to Shampoo. "I didn't think it would have that effect on her. I wonder who that gentleman in the red and blue was? If his power was added to her prowess in the martial arts, then she'll have limitless potential." This statement was accompanied by a look akin to a cat with a canary in its clutches.  
  
Striding over to a computer, she punched up a picture on a security camera. The picture showed a young male, going through a kata with a bokken. Fluid motion followed fluid motion, as the bokken-wielder continued his workout.   
  
"Ah, young Tatewaki, you make a splendid specimen indeed. How you've grown..."she trailed off, a bittersweet recollection of times past springing to mind. "How noble, how honorable. You make your mother proud. I must pay you a visit soon...along with your little friends."  
  
And with that, Dr. Sakura Okun, formerly Sakura Kuno, mother to Tatewaki and Kodachi Kuno, laughed, not as maniacally as her daughter, but close enough.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tatewaki Kuno finished his workout, and walked over to the bench where he put his sweat towel. Every once in a while, he'd glance over his shoulder.  
  
"Methinks someone watches. 'Tis a queer sensation I feel, that of eyes on my person," he said loudly, trying to scare whoever might be watching him out of hiding.  
  
"Oh, that's just paranoid schizophrenia setting in, Brother dear," called a voice in a lilting, mocking tone. Kodachi waltzed in, in her favorite green leotard and with one of her ribbons in hand, ready for her workout.  
  
Kuno bit back a scathing remark about sanity, opting for the moral high ground. "Sister dear," he said in the same general mocking tone Kodachi used, "may you have a wondrous workout." With that, he walked out of the dojo and closed the door.  
  
At the moment he walked out, Kodachi dropped the green leotard guise and shifted to her Blood Rose aspect. She also ditched the ribbon, another pretense she adopted so as not to raise her brother's suspicions. Though Tatewaki Kuno was known for having the perceptive powers of mentally deficient roadkill, it was best not to take chances.  
  
Seeking to test the limits of her new powers, she set to hopping all over the dojo, from wall to wall, from floor to ceiling, pausing every once in a while on the walls to test her ability to cling to them. As she flew around, she let her senses go, finding them enhanced as well. She could sense even the tiniest eddy of air current about her as she flew through the air, could hear the smallest squeak of the wood as she impacted, could feel the curvature of the wall change as she sprung off. It made for a heady experience.  
  
As she alighted in the middle of the dojo floor, she let out a loud, ringing laugh, slightly different from her usual maniacal banshee wail. It was tinged with true joy, joy in the sensations, the feeling of true power she sensed.  
  
"Oh, how wonderful this feels! But whatever am I do to with myself now that I have all this power? Ah! Now I am definitely worthy for my Ranma-sama. I can just go kill that annoying Akane Tendo and...."  
  
Kodachi paused. She felt unusual when she said that, so she tried again, slowly. "I can kill Akane...." This time, she couldn't even finish the sentence. What was this she was feeling? It felt like....revulsion. Disgust. Anger at herself for suggesting it.  
  
It surprised her. Why, all of a sudden, would she not want to kill her primary rival for the heart of Ranma? *Could it be that this astounding costume has instilled me with a conscience?* she wondered.  
  
"Nah!" she said quite forcefully. As she set to continuing her workout, she couldn't help but wonder why she no longer felt the need to kill ANY of her rivals, not just Akane. It was almost as if she had been in a bank of clouds before, clouds which blinded her to the proper way of action. Now that the clouds were clear, she found that she had no desire to kill anyone, finding the act wrong and abhorrent. In fact, all her thoughts seemed clearer, somehow.  
  
As she pranced about the gym doing a floor exercise, she continued to wonder what had caused this sea-change within her. She still wanted Ranma, but she also realized bitterly that he didn't like her in the same way, and it was mostly her fault for acting like a complete psycho. She realized that her actions in the past were horribly unbalanced.  
  
She had been sick. Mentally sick.  
  
"I guess I shouldn't have made that crack to Tatchi about paranoid schizophrenia," she said with a frown. After commanding her costume to form a mask over her face, so as not to be recognized, she leapt out of the dojo, intent on taking a little "stroll".  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was a lovely day, filled with birds chirping, sun shining, and Ryogas hopelessly lost.  
  
"Where on earth at I now?" he muttered in a lower register than his usual hopelessly lost wail. He stared at a map of Lichtenstein as he pondered where to go. This would usually be a good thing....if he were in Lichtenstein. But, seeing as he was standing in front of the Ucchan's, it didn't do him much good.  
  
"Lost again, sugar?" drifted a pleasant female voice from the doorway behind him. Ryoga turned to see Ukyo flipping one of her throwing spats up in the air and catching it.  
  
"No, I'm not lost, I'm just trying to find my way to the Alps from here.....wait, what are you doing in Lichtenstein, Ukyo?" puzzled Ryoga.  
  
Ukyo raised an eyebrow quizzically. "And just how do you plan on getting to the Alps from downtown Nerima?"  
  
Ryoga flushed, as he realized that he was indeed back in Japan. "Ah, well...nevermind that now. You busy? Wanna walk to the Tendo Dojo?"  
  
Ukyo knew that Ryoga was too prideful to come out and admit that he was asking her because he couldn't find his way there if it was 2 feet in front of him. "Eh, sure. I can see why Ranchan's been missing lately. Knowing Akane, she knocked him halfway to Tibet, and he's slowly making his way back."  
  
"How can you like such a jerk anyway, Ukyo? I always thought you had better sense than that."  
  
"Hush up, jackass...I could say the same about Akane, you know. She's not all peaches and cream."  
  
"Leave Akane out of it!" roared Ryoga helplessly. "She's the greatest..." And with this, he developed a goofy grin while thinking about Akane.  
  
Ukyo just shook her head. "You're hopeless, man." They continued on towards the dojo, until they saw an increasingly unusual sight.  
  
What they both saw was Happosai, jumping around with panty-raiding gear. This wasn't that unusual in and of itself, but the person following him was.  
  
She wore an all purple spandex bodysuit, which covered her from head to toe. Over this was a sweatshirt, all in black, sleeves torn, with a purple spider emblazoned on its chest and back. When Ukyo got a good look at the face, all she saw was a purple visage with two large white patches where the eyes would be.  
  
"Who is that?" Ukyo and Ryoga said, almost in unison. "Well, whoever it is, they're really good...they're keeping up with the old lecher, and they don't even seem tired," Ukyo noted.  
  
The stranger in purple then shot a weird looking string from her wrist. It shot ahead of Happosai, and stuck to a tree. She then used her forward momentum to swing ahead of the perverted master, and begun to swing back towards him. Happosai was surprised by this maneuver, but was quick enough to react and duck under the kick that the stranger attempted. Said stranger then fell onto the floor and skidded, as her momentum would have predicted her to do.  
  
This exchange had Ryoga's jaw on the floor. He was astounded by the agility of the stranger, and the rope technique that she had used to swing around and take aim at Happosai. Ukyo was flabbergasted too, but she recovered much quicker than the Eternal Lost Boy did. *Hmm, looks like I'm not the only one that's got some powers, after all. No normal person can move that fast....I think even Ranchan might have trouble keeping up. Happosai was lucky there.*  
  
All of a sudden, they saw a huge burst of light and sound. Apparently, Happosai capitalized on the strangers miss, and nailed her with a Happodaikarin. This snapped both Ryoga and Ukyo out of it, and sprung them into action.  
  
Ryoga went to face off with Happosai. "Hey Old Pervert! Why don't you try picking on a man, instead of a girl!" As he leapt forward, he grabbed a bunch of bandannas and flung them at Happosai, hoping to distract him with them while he set him up for a Shi Shi Hokodan.  
  
"Ah, but she started it, my boy! And if a pretty lady wants to play, who am I to refuse?" bantered the Perverted Master as he dodged all the bandannas, unwittingly putting himself right into the line of fire of a.....  
  
"SHI SHI HOKODAN!!!!" Ryoga screamed as he let loose a ball of concussive depression chi. It connected solidly, sending Happosai into the outer reaches of the stratosphere.  
  
Meanwhile, Ukyo went to check on the strange girl that had been fighting Happosai. "Um, miss? Are you alright? My companion and I saw the fight, and we thought we'd help...."  
  
"Why you interfere? I had old pervert where I wanted him," she said, in an unusual voice that made Ukyo think she was deliberately trying to deepen it, and speak more articulately. "But...thank you anyway."  
  
Ukyo felt rather suspicious. "And what's your name, sugar?" pouring on the nice routine. *What's that gaijin saying? Ah, catch more flies with honey....*  
  
"Black Arachnia," she said without hesitation. "Thank you again for help. Now, I must go follow him. Excuse me."  
  
And with that, she leapt onto the nearest tall building, over 70 feet down the street and at least 6 stories high. She made it look like she was doing a short broad jump across a puddle in the street.  
  
"Gonna have to watch for that one...." Ukyo said under her breath, slightly amazed, though not overly so. After all, it's not like this "Black Arachnia" is the only one that has power around here....  
  
"What the hell was that?" Ryoga asked, genuinely amazed at the display of agility, speed, and strength that was Black Arachnia's leaping. "How can she leap around like that? Even Ranma and I would be hard-pressed to do that."  
  
Ukyo noted that Ryoga had acknowledged Ranma's skill as an afterthought, but decided against pointing that out to him. Instead, she began to say, "Yeah, that's amazing. Wonder how she...."  
  
But before she got to finish the sentence, they had an unexpected visitor.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Blood Rose had been out on her "stroll", and seen nothing of note. She had been mulling over in her mind why she all of a sudden didn't feel the urge to obliterate her competition. It never bothered her before, so why should it now, when she now has more than enough means to do it?  
  
The only thing she could think of is that the costume somehow instilled her with a conscience, something to prevent her from doing evil things such as that. "But, that's just silly! That can't be true...."  
  
No, that wasn't true. The truth, Kodachi realized painfully, was that she had been sick. She had been delusional and near-psychotic, and now she wasn't. Thanks to this costume, she was now normal, even metahuman in certain aspects. This included the chemical imbalance that she had within her. Now, the only mental unbalance she had was one purely of thought patterns and trauma she had experienced. Those could be fixed, in time.  
  
But in the meantime, due to her new-found clearness, she had come to a couple of realizations. One was that Ranma found her to be the least appealing of the fiancee crew, because of the aforementioned delusional state. Another was that she couldn't fix things by killing off her competition; if anything that would make things worse.   
  
So what was she to do? As she pondered this, she ran across Ryoga and Ukyo.  
  
"Ah....the chef and the Lost Boy! What a pleasant surprise," Kodachi said as she swung in to join them in a pleasant conversation.  
  
Ryoga and Ukyo exchanged glances. "Um, do we know you?" they said, again almost in unison.  
  
"Hmm, perhaps....I am the Blood Rose." With this, she took a bow with a flourish. Tendrils of her costume snaked about her, as if a snake's tongue, picking up information out of the air by plucking it directly from there.  
  
Ukyo was instantly wary. She reached for a spat and charged it, behind her back so as not to alert anyone to her intent. "Really? Quite a suiting name for you. You have a thing for roses?"  
  
"Why, yes.....they're lovely flowers, aren't they? I believe another girl around here has a fixation quite similar....only to black roses. Isn't that the silliest thing! There are no such things as naturally occuring black roses."  
  
Still wary, Ukyo said, "Yeah, but the same could be said about bleeding roses, too."  
  
Even though she couldn't actually tell, Ukyo could swear that the girl's face behind that mask twisted....with anger or amusement, she couldn't be sure. "Now, did I say 'bleeding', my dear girl? I said blood, as in the color of."  
  
A disgusted look cross Ukyo's face. "Lovely image there, darlin'. Now, whatta you want?"  
  
"Oh, I saw you two standing about, and felt like having a pleasant chat. Why, am I upsetting you?" the Blood Rose said, in a tone that practically screamed "I hope I am".  
  
"Maybe," Ukyo said, then immediately vaulted to the side and flung her charged up spat at the ground in front of the Blood Rose's feet. Upon contact with the asphalt of the street, the spat exploded, releasing the pent up kinetic energy that Ukyo had suffused it with. It blew up a small portion of the street, spraying rocks everywhere.  
  
This suprised the Blood Rose, who fell back from the shockwave of the explosion. When she landed, she screamed in shock and anger, "I try to be nice, and this is how you repay me!? Take this!" With that, she extended a tendril of her costume, formed it into a throwing shruiken, and flung it at Ukyo. It clipped her in the shoulder as she was leaping away, causing her to stumble slightly. Ukyo, determined soul that she is, kept going, not stopping.  
  
Muttering under her breath, Kodachi said, "Stupid wench...." as she extended another tendril of costume to swing away with.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryoga just stood there with a look of stony shock on his face. Finally, about a minute later, when his mind caught up to his senses, he managed a "Huh?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nabiki was deep in concentration. She was busy trying to figure out how to use her newfound power to profit. While she was doing this, she was in the middle of a 3 meter bubble of frigid Arctic air. Hey, a girl has to keep in practice.  
  
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Nabiki shut down the mini-snowstorm, made sure there wasn't any patches of ice laying around, and went to answer the door. When she opened it, she was slightly surprised to see Akane there. Not that she didn't care for her sister, it's just that they tended never to go to each other's rooms.  
"Hey Onee-chan, whatcha doing?" Akane said with a bright smile. Suddenly, as she walked into the room, she let out a slight shiver. "Um, is it just me, or is it kinda cool in here?" she said as she compensated by releasing microwave-spawned heat, at a very small rate, to warm herself a bit.  
  
"Nah, it's just you Akane. In fact, I think it's getting a tad warmer in here," Nabiki said as she noted that with Akane's entrance, it got suddenly warmer. She started to cool the air about her to keep her cool, literally.  
  
Akane shrugged. "I just came by to ask you if you saw a brick in the dojo. I had left one out for my afternoon workout, but it's gone..."  
  
"Nope, didn't see one sis," Nabiki quickly, but smoothly, added. "Maybe you should just get another one?"  
  
By this time, both had aquired a near visible aura about them, the signal that they were manifesting their powers. They were oblivious to each other's auras, because they were too worried that the other would spot their aura. At the same time, it began to get quite cold on Nabiki's side of the room, while it was quite warm on Akane's side. If they had been circling each other, a Hiryu Shoten Ha could have easily been performed.  
  
Still, both sisters were ignorant of the other's powers. "Yeah, guess I'll have to. I'll do it after my jog. See ya Onee-chan!" Akane said cheerfully. *Time to fly!*  
  
Nabiki gave her patented smirk, and said, "Later Akane."  
  
After Akane left, Nabiki let a breath out that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Can't have anyone finding out about this yet....if at all," Nabiki said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'm getting that creepy deja-vu feeling," Ranma-chan said.  
  
Her and her father were walking back towards the dojo. Thanks to her father's impromptu training trip, she ended up being out of Nerima a week. Now, she returns with a panda for a father, and in girl form. She couldn't help but think it was rather similar to when she first graced the Tendo's front door, only this time she wasn't being dragged kicking and screaming there.  
  
:"Ya HAD to forget the hotplate, didn'tcha oyaji?" Ranma-chan growled at her hapless panda- father.  
  
Genma held up a sign stating, "Well, you should've double check our packs, boy!"  
  
Ranma had an incredulous look on her face. "Now how was I supposed to do that when you just threw my pack at me, grabbed me, and we left?!?!"  
"Always be prepared, boy. You never know when a training trip will arise," the sign that Genma held up said.  
  
Ranma gave the panda a look, grabbed the sign out of his hand and smacked it over her father's head.  
  
"Mrrrrrr...." Genma growled weakly.  
  
"Useless ball of fur...." Ranma muttered. Just then, something caught his eye.  
  
It was an orange streak across the sky. When it swooped by, it resolved itself to be a girl. She wore a form-fitting maroon bodysuit, with shoulders decorated in orange flames, and boots decorated in red flames. She wore what appeared to be an orange-mirrored visor, hiding her eyes. Her hair was deepest black, except for various streaks of brightest red mixed in.  
  
Ranma could do nothing but stare at her in absolute awe. This girl radiated power, and grace, and beauty, and she was flying - FLYING, mind you - across the sky.  
  
She looked like an angel.  
  
Suddenly, the angel stopped, as if noticed. She saw Ranma staring up at her, and slowly a smile spread across her face. She seemed to recline in the air, as if satisfied that Ranma's gaze was fixated on her with such unabashed infatuation. She seemed to sit upon the air for a beat, then waved, blew a kiss at Ranma, and flew off.  
  
Ranma stood stock still. It wasn't until she heard her father begin to stir that she came out of her reverie. All the way home, she thought of nothing beside the beautiful girl that flew by, and smiled and waved at her, and blew a kiss at her.  
  
As Ranma entered home, she saw Akane standing at the doorway, a small smile across her face. Her most kawaii smile. She thought to herself, still in shock and awe, *First that really cute flying girl, now Akane's smiling cutely at me. Whatever I did right today, Kami-sama, tell me so I can keep doing it....*  
  
He didn't even realize that he didn't think of Akane as uncute.  
  
"Hey Ranma, how was the training trip?" Akane asked, genuinely curious.  
  
"What?" Ranma said intelligently, still fairly out of it.  
  
"Nothing, Ranma. Kasumi's almost done with dinner, you should go wash up now," Akane said, the small smile still playing across her face.  
  
"H-hai, Akane. 'Scuse me a sec," Ranma said as he headed to the furo.  
  
Akane was enjoying this immensely. For once in her life, she had made Ranma go gaga over her. It was one of her duties to keep that going, the best way she knew how. And one way was to ask the only person she could for advice, Dr. Tofu.  
  
*But that can wait,* thought Akane, as she went inside to prepare for dinner, and take off the bodysuit she still had on underneath her jeans and sweatshirt. 


End file.
